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- Avatar: Fire and Ash and Ne Zha 2 are now joint 1/1 favourites to be 2025’s highest grossing film.
- Ne Zha 2 leads the current box office with $1.89 billion made.
- Odds live now at Paddy Power, with free bets available for new customers.
Box Office Battle Heats Up Between Avatar: Fire and Ash & Ne Zha 2
With more than half the year still to go, the race to be 2025’s highest grossing film is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory and bookmakers are now calling it too close to call.
Ne Zha 2, the Chinese animated sequel, currently leads the global box office with a staggering $1.89 billion in takings.
But with Avatar: Fire and Ash not set to release until 19 December, Paddy Power have now made both films 1/1 joint favourites to finish the year on top.
A Minecraft Movie had shortened in the market to 2/1 in recent weeks but that has now started to drift with the movie yet to hit $1b at the Box Office.
| Highest Grossing Movie of 2025 | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar: Fire and Ash | 1/1 | 50.0% |
| Ne Zha 2 | 1/1 | 50.0% |
| A Minecraft Movie | 3/1 | 25.0% |
| Zootopia 2 | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Wicked: For Good | 7/1 | 12.5% |
| Jurassic World: Rebirth | 7/1 | 12.5% |
What the expert says...
Delayed Release Gives Avatar a Late Surge Potential
James Cameron’s Avatar franchise has a long history of dominating the global box office, with both previous entries sitting among the top three highest grossing films of all time.
While Fire and Ash won’t hit theatres until late December, that hasn’t stopped punters from backing it to replicate past success, particularly given its potential to sweep across holiday season ticket sales and early 2026 numbers.
However, Ne Zha 2’s early momentum cannot be underestimated. With nearly $1.9 billion already banked, the Chinese animation has captured an enormous domestic market and continues to perform internationally.
Its unexpected performance has forced bookmakers to slash its odds from 4/1 into evens, putting it on equal footing with the Avatar juggernaut.
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